Netanyahu said to reprimand Mossad chief for letter against PM’s choice of successor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a heated conversation yesterday with Mossad chief David Barnea over a letter Barnea sent to the attorney general expressing opposition to the appointment of the premier’s military secretary as the next spy agency head, Channel 13 reports.

Netanyahu demanded to receive a copy of the letter opposing the appointment of Maj. Gen Roman Gofman, according to the report, and was sent one.

The Israel Hayom newspaper says Netanyahu told Barnea he felt the outgoing Mossad director had acted behind his back.

Barnea’s opposition, shared by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, centers on Gofman’s use of Ori Elmakayes, a minor, for a so-called influence operation. While commanding the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division in the Golan Heights, Gofman in 2022 authorized using Elmakayes, then aged 17, in an Arabic-language influence campaign.

As a result of Gofman’s actions, Elmakayes was detained and interrogated by the Shin Bet domestic security agency, held in isolation for two months, charged with espionage offenses, and jailed for 18 months before the charges were dropped.

Gofman has claimed he did not know how old Elmakayes was, and that he had ordered that only non-classified information be given to him for publication on social media.

“When a commander decides to violate the army’s procedures, and decides to do something he is not supposed to do, it has many implications,” Barnea told the committee, according to Channel 13.

“Any official reprimand disqualifies a promotion, certainly a promotion for the head of the Mossad,” said Barnea.